Astrid and Sloane's make-up makeout lasted for what could have been hours, but in reality, it probably lasted about only twenty minutes before they had the strength to pull apart. Sloane found herself in her girlfriend's lap, straddling her as her hands softly tugged at her blonde hair. Though her arm was still sore from the impact back in the lobby, she refused to let pain get in the way. Every kiss tasted sweeter than the last, almost like the two had eaten the sweetest candy known to women. They were both addicted and could feel nothing but adrenaline and pleasure.

"I should probably get home," Sloane whispered as she lay her head on Astrid's chest. "I can't let you go," the Shadow Girl answered. With a loving smile still on her lips, Sloane looked down at her, gently caressing Astrid's cheek. "I don't want to let you go either. But Jayme and Alphonso deserve a proper burial," she smiled. "What I mean is, I can't let you leave. According to my sister, you're a hostage," the Umbrella clarified. Allison's words from back at the spa echoed in Sloane's head as she remembered that Astrid was not allowed to let her out of her sight.

"Right, that," Sloane sighed, getting off her lap. "Most of my family already thinks I'm a traitor. So, I can't-" Astrid tried to speak. "No, I get it. My family is probably plotting vengeance," Sloane nodded understandingly. The room filled with awkward silence. Now that the romantic moment between them was over, how else could they break away from the reality of their situation? "So, I guess we just... go back to fighting until everybody's dead..." Astrid shivered as the image of her family lying dead on the ground flashed before her eyes. Without a truce, Ben wouldn't stop till the Sparrows were the last ones standing.

Suddenly, Sloane got an idea. Maybe they didn't have to fight to the death. Maybe there was a way to bring peace between the two families. "We can put an end to this and still be together, Trid," She spoke up, taking Astrid's hand in hers. "How?" The Shadow Girl questioned. Sloane looked at the door and the nearby vent resting on the ceiling, leaning in close for only Astrid to hear.

~~~~~~~

"Are you serious?" Allison scoffed as she and the rest of the Umbrellas listened to Astrid present them with her and Sloane's plan. "We can use Sloane as an olive branch. We let her go as a gesture of peace, along with the bodies of Jayme and Alphonso," Number Eight offered. "Once I'm back with my family, I can convince them the old guy had nothing to do with you and get them to stand down," Sloane finished.

Diego's eyes squinted as he turned his attention to his sister. "You really want to let her go after attacking us? No way," He shook his head. "Me attacking you? I lost two of my siblings to you and your murder troll!" Sloane snapped. But Astrid quickly calmed the situation before they lost the case completely. "Again Slo, Harlan is not with us," She gently reminded. "Well, he's not not with us," Diego pointed out, making Astrid shoot him a look that silently said, Shut up!

"He was just trying to protect me. I helped take care of him as a kid while we were stuck in Dallas," Viktor jumped in. "Listen, this only works if I can convince my family he isn't a part of your team, so is he with you or not?" Sloane sighed. "Harlan saved our asses. He can stay here as long as he wants. You know what, Ast? He can sleep on your couch since you're sleeping with the enemy," Diego sneered.

"Enough!" Luther interjected. "Astrid is still a part of our family, no matter how pissed off some of you may be," Luther defended, standing between her and his brother. "Guys, stop it!" Viktor swooped in, looking over his shoulder at Sloane. Next to Astrid and Luther, he seemed to be one of the very few Umbrellas who wanted to give this plan a chance. "Having an ally on the inside could help us right now," He admitted.

Sloane smiled a tiny bit. Maybe some of the Umbrellas were deserving of a second chance. "Yeah, but how do we know if we can trust Gravity Barbie?" Allison fakely smiled. "Because I trust her," Astrid crossed her arms over her chest. "I trust her too," Luther nodded in agreement. "You also trusted emails from a Nigerian Prince, Luther," Diego smirked. "Tunde was not a prince, he was a king, and he was unjustly deposed!" the Ape-man insisted.

Astrid just shook her head at the nonsense. She remembered her brother talking about the emails, and right from the get-go, there was some serious sketchiness with whoever this "Tunde" was. "Ast, you believe me, right?" Luther looked over to her for backup. "Sorry, Luth. I warned you that guy was bad news," Astrid patted his shoulder. The more Allison kept glaring at Sloane, the more Sloane felt she had to willingly prove she had no ill intentions. Usually, it was easy to convince people she was a good person with a shitty family, but the Rumor was beginning to make her doubt herself.

"Go ahead, rumor me again," She stepped forward as Allison scanned her up and down. "Go on. I'm not hiding anything. Whatever it takes," Number Three remained silent, pondering if she wanted to feel the satisfaction of control. But with a quiet inhale, Allison glared at Astrid, telling her to do whatever she wanted to do, but that Allison had no intention of being a part of it. As she and Diego walked off, Astrid, Sloane, Luther, and Viktor looked at each other, uncertain of how they were going to get the Sparrows to agree to meet up. No surprise attacks, just a civil conversation.

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, back at the Sparrow Academy, things were getting tense as well. With Jayme and Alphonso gone, the remaining Sparrows had been at each other's throats all day. "You led us into a slaughter!" Fei growled. "How many times do I have to tell you? You were also involved! So, it's just as much your fault as it is mine!" Ben bit back. As Fei poured herself a glass of alcohol, hoping to numb the anger inside her, she glared at him behind her sunglasses. "How is it our fault? You're Number One, remember? You've been planning this since last night, so you knew full well the danger you were putting us in!"

"I'm a different kind of Number One," Ben insisted. Sparrow Three shook her head, resisting the urge to peck his eyes out as she stepped out from behind the bar and walked towards him. "The shitty kind. That's why Dad demoted you, and that's why he made Marcus Number One. You don't know how to lead. You don't have what it takes!" Fei's venomous words made Ben's anger boil over like a tea kettle, and without a second thought, he smacked her, her sunglasses skittering onto the floor.

But rather than fight back, Fei started cackling at his petty move. If he really wanted to hurt her, he would have done much worse. "Marcus would've never let-" "He's gone! Do you know what our real problem is? You're a shit Number Two, Fei," Ben spat. Christopher, who had been watching this whole debacle from one of the barstools started chattering, siding with his brother. "See? Even Christopher agrees with me," Ben smirked as Fei exhaled sharply. She stayed silent as she went to pick up her glasses, still glaring in his direction.

Fei hadn't admitted it yet, but she had that gut feeling that Sloane might still be alive. She knew Jayme and Alphonso were never coming home, but even though she caught a glimpse of her other sister lying on the ground for the briefest moment, she didn't feel that sense of loss. Maybe Sloane was still alive. Maybe she was being held captive by the Umbrellas. And if that were the case, they needed to get her back. 

"We need them," She spoke up. "Who are you referring to?" Ben questioned. "Jayme and Alphonso's bodies. We can't just leave them with the Umbrellas. They may be dead, but they're still our family. And I think Sloane might still be alive," Fei clarified. Ben's eyes slightly widened, trying to recall if Sloane was with them and snuck past to her room as he, Fei, and Christopher argued. "If they lay a finger on her..." Ben growled. 

"No. We're not doing this your way. It'll only cause more needless deaths. We'll request a meeting with them, send them the location of where we'll be, and then they can hand them over," Fei explained. Ben did not like his sister taking over his job as Number One. She was meant to be his second in command, not the leader. But if there was one point he agreed with, it was that even in death, Jayme and Alphonso were still family and needed a proper burial. 

But this wasn't good enough. If the Umbrellas weren't directly responsible for their deaths, then the old man who snuck up on them was the true murderer. Ben wanted him handed over as well before a truce could be considered. "Fine. We'll do it that way. Send a raven, will you?" Ben agreed. Fei slightly smirked at her successful plan, and walked back to her room, summoning a few of her ravens.

Christopher chattered to Ben, noticing his lips form from a tight thin line to a menacing smile. "You'll find out soon, Chris. This feud will not end so easily,"